Abdolrahim Mousavi

Abd al-Rahim Mousavi was Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran, the country’s highest-ranking military position. He oversaw Iran’s regular army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He was born in 1960 in the city of Qom, and in 1979 he joined Iran’s regular army. He was initially sent to the Kurdistan region and served in the 28th Division in Kurdistan. He later joined the Ground Forces’ 33rd Artillery Brigade and operated in Khuzestan. After the end of the Iran–Iraq War, he completed military studies and later served as Deputy Head of Training of the Ground Forces. From 2001 to 2005, he served as head of the Imam Ali Officers Academy. From 2005 to 2008, he served as Chief of the General Staff of the Army. From 2008 to 2016, he served as Deputy Commander of the Army. In 2016, he was transferred to the General Staff of the Armed Forces, which oversees Iran’s regular army and the Revolutionary Guard Corps, where he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff. On August 21, 2017, he was appointed by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, to serve as Commander of Iran’s regular army. In May 2019, he was additionally appointed Commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base. On June 13, 2025, following the killing of Mohammad Bagheri by Israel, he was selected to serve as Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran. This position had generally been reserved for commanders of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, and this was the first time it was given to a commander of Iran’s regular army.